All the King's Ships
by Indie Cameo
Summary: Captain Jack Sparrow has stumbled across something the King of England wants desperately. Something priceless that has the Caribbean and the Atlantic in an uproar as all the King's ships and all the King's men search. Action and adventure, some laughs t
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Well, hey there! Insert usual disclaimer here, it would be great if I owned Jack Sparrow, but in the meantime I can dream! All characters not mentioned in the movie are figments of my overactive imagination. The name Siddons is used to honour famous British actress Sarah Siddons, who I think is/was really cool. I'm really trying to keep this story from being viewed as a typical Mary/Sue, so if you have questions or concerns about my heroine, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm no history buff, so this isn't going to be particularly accurate, unless I'm talking about something I actually know about/have researched. For instance, in the old days, sailors on shore leave would get odd jobs like working at theatres operating the sets, which is how Arthur Graves met Joanna's parents. I really hope you enjoy the story, and reviews and constructive criticism will always be more than welcome!

* * *

Joanna Siddons rowed the small boat packed with her luggage and some foodstuffs away from the merchant ship she'd taken from England and toward the beach of a small, uninhabited island in the Caribbean. The Captain of _Celeste_, Arthur Graves, waved to her from the deck in the predawn light. He had been a friend of her parents, who were both actors and managed a theatre in London, and had been known to her as Uncle Arthur for as long as she could remember. Two years ago after her father had followed her mother to the grave, Uncle Arthur had repeated his promise that she could count on him for anything. Just over a month ago she'd arrived at his doorstep begging for passage on his next voyage, and to Joanna's great relief she'd been watching the receding shoreline of her homeland from the aft of the ship three days later.

Joanna's arms ached a little as she pulled the oars toward her. _Celeste_ was becoming smaller on the horizon, she could barely see Uncle Arthur at the helm steering her onward. He'd promised to send someone back for her once they'd reached the next port, where he'd been instructed at their last stop that he was to pick up the King's cousin and take him back to England without stopping in America first. The King. He was the reason she'd fled England. Many actresses-nay, many women-would have jumped at the chance to be the mistress of one of the most powerful men in the world, but Joanna didn't fall into that category. When first he'd started paying attention to her the year before, she'd brushed it off as a phase he was going through. She was quite popular with the people and didn't play the ingénue roles that men in power typically fell for. With her long legs and somewhat gangly figure, she'd always been cast in the britches parts; and recently when her body betrayed her by developing into a figure that rivaled her beautiful mother's, she'd done her best to hide it, and had continued as she had before. She realized with a snort that it was probably the britches roles that had done her in; the costumes showed off the shape of a woman's lower half without offending propriety, and the plays Joanna performed in almost always sold out. So much for avoiding attention, Joanna thought, before she forcefully pushed the King out of her mind. She was on the other side of the globe now, he would forget about her, and she could meet her relatives and perform with them in America.

She looked behind her and was pleased to see she was only a few yards from shore. Wanting to save her dress from the saltwater as much as she could, she struggled with the oars until she could climb out of the boat with as little splashing as possible. Joanna pulled the boat over the sparkling white sand and into the shade of the various trees and bushes further inland. Already feeling the day's heat from her long row to the island, Joanna pulled off her dress, shoes, and stockings, and unlaced her corset, taking a deep breath as she felt the cool breeze off the water hit her in only her pantalets and sleeveless chemise top. She laughed gaily as she pulled her luggage from the small craft and opened it to find her makeup kit. On the boat Uncle Arthur had told her about the Egyptians who outlined their eyes in kohl to help reduce the glare of the sun. Joanna, born and raised in London, was unused to the brightness as it bounced off the waves and had been dying to try the kohl for herself since Uncle Arthur had mentioned it. Finding the stick, her expert fingers quickly swiped the black around her eyes before replacing it in her small kit and closing her trunk.

For the first time in her life, she felt truly free. No one was around for her to answer to. She could do whatever she wanted on this island and nobody would know. Joanna looked at this as her personal paradise, a dream before she found her relatives and went on with her life. The sand was cool from the previous night as she walked down and waist deep into to the clear blue water. Joanna pulled her long dark blonde curls and waves from their restrictive bun and fell backwards smiling into an oncoming wave.

The rest of the day passed like a dream. Joanna had never had so much fun. After playing in the waves until the sun was high overhead, she'd come back to her little camp and realized how hungry she was. Biting into a pasty she looked up and spotted what she assumed were coconuts. She finished her lunch and then managed to climb to the top of the coconut tree within minutes (several years of working the sets in her parents' theatre gave her an unnatural skill at climbing things, added onto by her experience climbing the mast and nets of Uncle Arthur's ship when he wasn't looking) and toss down a few coconuts. She broke her first one open on a rock and was rewarded with the sweet milk and flesh inside. Contented, Joanna braided most of her still wet hair into small braids, and left the rest to curl and wave naturally into tendrils. She'd never been very feminine, and hadn't any skills to speak of when it came to fixing her looks except those she had learnt for the stage. She'd explored the perimeter of the island for the rest of the day and then settled down to make a proper camp. She'd laid out a makeshift bed, built a fire, and finished her second coconut as the stars came out before weariness overtook her. She added a few more small branches to the flames and then laid back and watched the stars as her eyes closed of their own accord.

* * *

Jack Sparrow closed his spyglass and tilted his head to one side, beads in his hair clinking together as he squinted in deep thought. Someone was on his special island, and he hadn't been expecting it. In the year since he'd met Will and Elizabeth Turner (they were now married) and regained the Pearl from Barbosa, Jack had led a rather quiet existence. He was wealthy enough to buy Port Royal if he so chose, but instead he'd cut a deal with the Commodore. Jack got to raid, pillage, and plunder as many ships as he wanted, so long as he didn't attack any English settlements or vessels. That was easy enough, although he had to admit he missed being chased by all the Caribbean had to offer of the King's Navy. Instead, Commodore Norrington and himself had developed what might be called a friendship, although to outside eyes it appeared to be more of a business relationship, and a very strained one at that. Jack and the Commodore had been using the island as a communication point for the past year. Jack would drop off maps and captain's logs, anything that might be of interest to the Crown from those ships he attacked, and in exchange, Jack would be pointed in directions where he could find more ships and was always given a few barrels of the best rum in the Caribbean. They used the hidden cache where Jack's rum pre-Elizabeth had been stored, and occasionally Jack or the Commodore would play some sort of prank on the other man. Jack was curious about this fire on the beach and ordered Gibbs to lower one of the boats before heading below deck to retrieve Will.

Will opened the door of his cabin a few minutes later to Jack's incessant knocking with his shirt open and his breaches barely pulled up to his waist. Jack entered his first mate's cabin with his usual swagger and was just about to open his mouth when Elizabeth cut into his thoughts.

"Jack, you'd better have a bloody good reason for interrupting us like this. Didn't you see the kerchief on the door?" she half growled from the bunk where the sheets were pulled up almost to her chin.

"I do have a bloody good reason, luv. And I apologize for interrupting your," his hands waved in circles as he gave the couple a smirk, "sleep. But I need Will since there appears to be a campfire on the island."

"Can't this wait until morning!" Elizabeth's voice faded as the two men made their way back to the deck and into the boat waiting for them.

"What do you suppose it means? Do you think Norrington wants us to hide someone?" Will asked as he pulled on one of the oars.

"Not sure, mate. But it seems strange, we haven't seen any sign of him for two weeks, you'd think he would have left us a message last time we were here." Jack answered, keeping the rhythm as he pulled on the other oar.

"Maybe he was too shocked or offended by your . . . gift," Will's voice hinted at the laughter bubbling under the surface. Jack had trained a parrot to sing a rather bawdy song anytime his name was mentioned.

"I can't imagine why," Jack slurred softly as they felt the sand scrape the bottom of the boat and jumped out to pull it ashore and out of reach of the tide. Both men drew their swords and advanced on the fire, only noticing when they reached it that the sleeping form it cast its' glow upon was a young woman. He pulled at his beard as he turned to Will, "Well, this is interesting."

Joanna woke with a start at a sound she couldn't place and looked across the fire to see two dark shapes standing not ten feet away. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that the two men had their swords drawn. Exuding an outward calm that had only come from years of practice, she stood up, backed away from the fire slowly with her eyes shifting between the two men, and found her father's sword in her boat. Only then did she speak.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" Joanna was relieved that her voice held the same power now that she had exerted onstage. She realized she was in a very precarious position, alone on this island with two armed men, and who knew how many others where they had come from.

"Well now, luv," the shorter one wearing a hat swaggered around the fire moving his arms like a fop as he spoke, "this is my island. I think it would be wise if you answered those questions for us first, savvy?" His eyes glinted mischievously as he looked at her and Joanna remembered with a slight blush that she was only wearing her undergarments.

She raised her sword arm until it was almost level with her shoulder, and even though he was still a few feet out of her reach, it still made her feel safer. "Or I could disarm you and cut away your clothing until you answer me," she spoke with more confidence than she felt, although she'd had plenty of experience sword fighting onstage and roughhousing with the men of the theatre before she got too old for it.

"Trying to even the playing field, are we, luv?" Jack laughed before raising his sword to meet hers. He saw her look out of the corner of her eye where Will was still standing by the fire. Seeming satisfied that he wasn't going to join in, she raised her sword in salute and Jack mimicked her.

Will watched the duel unfold, impressed at the young woman's skill. She looked to be about Elizabeth's age, perhaps a year or two older, and he was curious to learn what had brought her to this island. He could tell that Jack had started out trying to go easy on her, but quickly learned that she was quite a match for him. In less than two minutes, he saw her disarm Jack and kick him to the ground. Will, who had sheathed his sword watching them, let out a laugh and ran over to where the two had ended up.

"Pleased to meet you," he bowed and smiled up at her as she turned from glaring at Jack to face him. When she saw that he wasn't going to attack her, she stuck her sword into the sand and held out her hand to him. "I'm Will Turner, and that's Jack—"

"Captain!" interrupted Jack as he rose from the ground, dusting the sand off of himself with his hat before returning it to his head, "Captain Jack Sparrow. And now who be you, missy?"

Joanna sighed and went out on a limb. "I'm Joanna Siddons, from London. I was dropped here this morning by the captain of _Celeste_ on his way to Port Royal." She noticed the look that passed between the two men and continued, "I'd rather not say more until you've answered some of my questions, if you don't mind."

"We came upon the _Celeste_ this afternoon, or what was left of her. She'd been attacked by Juan Federico of _La Dulcinea_, he's a Spanish pirate we've been following. We caught up with him and be assured he'll pay for his crime, but as far as we know there weren't any survivors," Will spoke quietly and watched as Joanna's eyes widened and filled with tears that refused to fall. She nodded at them, hands on her hips, then turned and walked a few feet further down the beach before the contents of her stomach couldn't wait any longer to free themselves and she bent over the sand, heaving. She walked back to where Jack and Will were waiting, picked up her sword as she passed them and indicated that they should follow her back to the fire.

Joanna pulled out a water sack and poured some of it into her mouth, swishing and then spitting it out behind her before offering it to the men. "I don't suppose either of you have anything stronger than this, do you? I could use a drink right about now!" Without speaking, Jack pulled a flask from the inside pocket of his coat and tossed it to her. Joanna caught it one-handed and thanked him quietly before taking a long swig and tossing it back.

"Feel like expounding on your story, luv? Will and I have got all night and we'd love to know why you're on this island." Joanna appeared to be weighing her options as she wrapped a blanket around herself, her eyes shifting from Jack's to Will's and then back to Jack's again.

"I'm an actress," she said finally, "I left London to find and join some of my family touring America. I left to avoid the attentions of His Majesty, I have no desire to be his mistress, and if I'd stayed it would have been that or greater trouble than I care to imagine. Arthur dropped me here to wait for another ship he would send to pick me up and take me the rest of the way. He was ordered at our last port of call to proceed straight to Port Royal and retrieve His Majesty's cousin and take him back to England. I have suspicions that His Majesty expects me to return on _Celeste_. But, if she's been sunk," Joanna's voice caught as she thought of the crew she'd become friends with and Uncle Arthur, "that leaves me stranded on your island."

"Well," slurred Jack, making Joanna wonder if he hadn't been drunk this whole time, "looks like you've two options. You can stay here and be found by the King's Navy, or you can come with us and we'll drop you where you see fit. I can't promise when, and you'll have to pay for passage or earn your keep, but it's a lot more fun than this island or a bunch of redcoats, right Will?"

"Right." Will turned to Joanna, "Would you like to join us? My wife travels with me most of the time and I know she'd enjoy some female company."

Joanna hesitated only a second. In just over a month, her life had changed drastically several times. She looked at the two men across from her, unlike anyone she'd ever met, and thought she'd like to have an adventure, the type of adventure she'd only ever acted out onstage. She nodded and watched as Jack jumped quickly to his feet before swaying, his arms swinging in circles, and she was sure he was about to fall when he pulled Will up with him.

"Go to the ship and let them know we have taken on a passenger. We're having a celebration to welcome her to the Pearl, and don't forget the Rum!" Jack nodded, satisfied with himself, and then looked down at Joanna, "Hungry, luv?"

Joanna shook her head, "No, I've got plenty to share."

They watched as Will jogged down to the boat and pushed it into the surf before hopping in and rowing away. Jack turned to Joanna and looked at her for a moment before speaking. "You've piqued my curiosity, as it were, Miss Siddons, fleeing from the King of England and disarming the famous Captain Jack Sparrow. Anything else I should know?"

Joanna stood up and walked over to where he was standing, one hand resting on his hip while the other tugged at his beard as he looked down at her with his chin lifted. "Only that you may call me Joanna, and that I don't usually run around in my skivvies."

Jack looked down at her in the firelight and thought to himself that it was a shame. "Well, then, Joanna, on this fortuitous occasion," his fingers danced as his arms danced in the air around him, "I must insist that you call me Jack, and appreciate it because not many people are allowed to. Do we have an accord?"

Deep and dark, his brown kohl-lined eyes looked down at her stormy gray kohl-lined eyes and waited for an answer. Joanna nodded slowly, unable to break the spell until she remembered that she was about to meet several new people who would be part of her life for a while and she was still just in her skivvies. "Shall I get some coconuts before I put my things back on?"

"And now how're you goin' to do that?"

Joanna looked back over her shoulder as she made her way to a coconut tree, "Easy, just climb up and get them. But the dressing I might need some help with."

Jack let out a low whistle as he watched her climb nimbly to the top of the tree. If she could climb like that and match him with a sword, there was no doubt in his mind that she'd take to life on the Pearl like a duck to water. He grinned, his mind wandering to other talents she might possess before a coconut hit him on the head and brought him flying onto his back with a surprised yelp. Joanna turned and looked down for the source of the noise. When she spotted him flat on the sand she could barely suppress a laugh before throwing down more coconuts, barely missing him as he yelped with each projectile that approached.

"Don't do anything else that might make me change my mind, savvy?" he growled at her after she'd climbed back down and he'd found himself on his feet again. To his dismay, Joanna pulled on his beard until their eyes were level and only inches apart before pulling off an even better impression of him than Will could do.

"I think you just might like the fact that I can keep you on your toes, savvy?" Joanna and Jack looked at one another for a long moment before she released him and gave a small laugh. "I'm sorry, Jack. I'll try." She made her way over to her things and turned back to see him watching her, "Help me dress before I meet your crew?"

"Now that's an interesting prospect, darlin'. You could just stay as you are and impress them as much as you've impressed me, or you could hide all of that loveliness under a dress." His hands gestured as he half stumbled toward her and came within inches of her face, his fingers dancing for a quick moment across her shoulders before returning to his sides. He was pleased to see her blush before he grabbed the corset from her and turned her around so he could lace it. Having another lass onboard would be interesting. Jack's smirk grew to a huge grin as he thought of succeeding where the King of England had failed. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, after all, and not one to pass up such a delicious challenge. The thought of her possible ransom wasn't lost on him, either. He sighed as she slipped a dress of rich dark brown silk brocade over her shoulders, taking her legs in their almost sheer pantalets from his view.

The two of them were throwing knives and sharing Jack's flask of rum when Will and Elizabeth-followed by the rest of the crew excluding Gibbs, who said it was bad luck to leave the ship unattended-arrived in boats on the beach, bringing with them a veritable feast. Elizabeth noted Joanna's wild hair half braided and half falling in curls and waves almost to her waist, the young woman's eyes still lined in kohl, and the fact that she was sharing Jack's flask and yet still able to hit the makeshift target twenty feet away, and turned to Will, "Is it just me or does she bear a striking resemblance to someone we know?"

Will laughed, "I swear she was like that when we got here! Well, minus the dress," he ducked as Elizabeth feigned shock and went to punch him, instead throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes while the crew laughed. He jogged up to where Jack and Joanna were standing, unaware of the fact that their stances were identical, and indicated Elizabeth's backend with a light slap from his free hand, "Joanna, I'd like to introduce my beautiful wife, Elizabeth Swann Turner."

Joanna circled Will until she could face Elizabeth. "My pleasure, Mrs. Turner," she smiled and with a wink gave Will a firm kick in the buttocks. The two young women fell into giggles together, and Jack pretended not to have noticed anything out of the ordinary before calling attention to himself.

"Oy! We've got a new face to welcome to The Pearl, lads! She's goin' ter be joinin' us for a bit, so don't cross 'er unless ye want her pointy end in you!"

"I didn't reckon she had a pointy end under that fancy dress," shouted Roberts, a rakish young man with a naughty sense of humor that got him in trouble with the ladies before his baby face and doe eyes brought him back in good graces. Elizabeth, who was used to the way the crew talked, started to turn and reassure her new friend, but Joanna swaggered closer to Roberts in a manner very much like Jack's and said so everyone could hear, "If I did have a pointy end under my dress, you can be sure it'd be bigger than yours!" Roberts let out a guffaw and then started to laugh and clap, followed by the rest of the crew, as Joanna took a bow and introduced herself.

It wasn't long until the fire had gotten bigger, the rum and wine passed around, and the food dug into. The stars and moon reflected in the waves as Plunkett, a quiet older man who said profound things when he did choose to speak, pulled out his fiddle and started a lively tune. Will and Elizabeth were the first to get up and dance. Roberts convinced Joanna to leave her place by the fire, and her rum, to dance a jig with him. She danced with all the men except Plunkett, who continued to play his fiddle, and Jack, who sat by the fire with a bottle of rum in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, watching them all. Eventually they all tired of the dancing and were sitting around the flames once more. Plunkett placed his fiddle lovingly in its case as Jack looked over at Joanna and cocked an eyebrow, "D'ye sing, lass?"

Joanna noted with a little gulp that the rest of the crew had stopped chattering and were looking at her expectantly. Elizabeth, sitting across the fire wrapped in her husband's arms smiled at her, "They're always asking me to sing them lullabies, but beg me to stop squawking the moment I open my mouth! If you can sing better than I can, I'm sure they'll appreciate having a talented singer onboard. They're all a bunch of softies." This got a few good-natured murmurs from the crew and Will whispered something in his wife's ear that made her blush as Joanna racked her brain for something appropriate to sing. She settled upon an old favorite her mother had sung to her when she was young and waited for their attention to settle before starting into a lilting melody.

"_Oh, there once was a girl fell in love with the wind,_

_And begged for to be taken along with him._

_She asked and she pleaded,_

_And though her words were heeded, _

_The wind sighed to her softly it could not be._

'_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Your soul is too heavy for me to carry._

_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_I canna take you with me, you and I we canna be.'_

_Have I told you her story?_

_The girl who fell in love with the sea?_

_She opened her arms to his salty embrace,_

_And prayed to the waves to take her in,_

_But the sea whispered to her that it could not be._

'_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Your soul is far too light to wonder in my depths._

_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_We canna be together, your soul and my deep.'_

_Do you know of the girl who fell in love with the _

_stones?_

_She'd sing her love to them softly in sun and in rain,_

_But their answer to her love was always the same._

'_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Your soul is much too young for our love to be true._

_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Time will tear us apart, you and I we canna be.'_

_Oh, there was a girl fell in love with the flowers._

_She'd sit in the fields and sing her love for hours._

_But their answer to her songs was ever the same._

'_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Your soul is far to old for our love to be true._

_Darling, though you love me, and though I love you,_

_Time will tear us apart, you and I we canna be.'_

_Now, listen lads and lasses to the story of the girl,_

_Who fell in love with a boy and felt she'd conquered_

_the world._

_He sang to her sweetly of his love both night and day,_

_And they made the solemn promise that neither one _

_would stray._

_Now, listen lads and lasses, for what I say is true,_

_Never underestimate what the power of love can do!"_

Joanna let the last note fade and wondered in the silence that followed if she had made a mistake. All of a sudden, Jack was clapping her on the back and handing her his bottle of wine in congratulations. She looked over at Elizabeth who smiled at her before turning to kiss Will.

"Oy!" Roberts cried out, nudging his shipmate Carlyle, a weathered man in his thirties with beady eyes but a bright, warm smile. "You two," he continued, "don't need to be showin' us all what we're missin' when we're at sea and don't have a woman around. Save it for the cabin, and keep it quiet-like!" Elizabeth gasped and threw a handy apple straight for Roberts' head, but he caught it and took a big bite before smiling around at his shipmates, "Thanks, luv. Now, it's fortunate that we'll have another lass onboard for those cold lonely nights when Will and Elizabeth are keepin' us all awake. Whaddaya say, Joanna, want to be my sweetheart?"

She was about to open her mouth to protest when Jack stood up, pulling her with him and broke in, "I'm afraid that's impossible, my little whelp. You forget yourself. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy? The lass'll be with me onboard."

A stream of words started flying out of Joanna's mouth in outrage. She was about to mention turning down the King and how she certainly wouldn't give herself to a Pirate if she hadn't wanted a King when Jack scooped her up into his arms and cradled her face against his in a kiss. She was vaguely aware of the crew's catcalls and good-humored laughter, and of the fact that she was quickly being carried away, but mostly she was surprised at the strange turn of events. Before she could even think to fight back or kiss back, she felt herself pressed against a tree trunk and opened her eyes. Jack was looking up at her and she realized her feet were still off of the ground. Out of her peripheral vision she could just see the campfire and some of the crew taking glances at them while they talked. Plunkett pulled out his fiddle again and they started a rowdy drinking song. "Care to set me down?" she asked Jack, noting that despite her effort at control, her voice was a little higher than normal.

"Just when I've got you where I want?" he asked, his deep brown eyes glinting in the darkness as he ever so slowly closed the tiny gap between them. "Not just yet, luv, we've got some talking to do." His face got closer to hers and Joanna's breath hitched in her throat when his lips brushed softly against her own before he continued, "The men, they don't know about you and the King." Again, his lips brushed her own before he continued speaking, this time not even pulling far enough away so that he didn't tickle her with his beard. "And, luv, I don't even think you know everything about you and the King." She felt his hot breath along her jaw as he went to whisper in her ear, his lips just brushing the lobe and she shivered, though she couldn't tell if it was from what he was saying or how he was saying it. "We've got Federico in the brig on _The Pearl_ and he was only too happy to talk after a little persuasion. Seems the Spanish King wants to get on His Highness' good side and sent ole Juan to find a little actress who ran away from his advances." Joanna gasped, and, reeling, she threw her arms around Jack's shoulders and clutched as tight as she could. "It would be in everyone's best interest if we kept the King a secret, savvy?"

Joanna placed her mouth next to Jack's ear and whispered so softly she thought he mightn't have heard, "Savvy. Jack, what do I do?"

"You're an actress, luv, just play along."


	2. Getting Even

**A/N: usual disclaimers, etcetera, etcetera. Wouldn't it be great if I did own him, though? I might even be pursuaded to share . . . it shouldn't usually take me this long to update, either, but my life has been crazy lately and things have finally settled down again. Reviews are welcome!**

Joanna woke the next morning with a headache and an almost empty bottle of rum clutched in one hand. She squinted in the bright morning light at the scene in front of her, bodies splayed out on the beach in various forms of repose, before remembering where she was. Joanna rolled from her side to her back, belatedly noticing the arm strewn across her waist and her lack of a dress or corset. Jack.

She thought over the last twenty-four hours of her life. She'd greeted the morning before from the deck of a ship that was now at the bottom of the ocean, and said goodbye to a man on that ship who'd been like a father to her. Joanna's view of the sparse clouds above her began to blur as tears gathered in her eyes. Tears not just for Uncle Arthur. As she took a swig from the bottle in her hand and felt it burn down her throat, she started to uncharacteristically pity herself and her situation. Her parents were gone, she'd left her life and friends in London to travel to relatives she'd never met in a country she'd never desired to see, and the only other person in the world she'd ever thought of as family was lying with his ship in Davy Jones' locker because of her. Joanna tried to choke down a sob by taking an even longer swig, but the rum and her throat would not cooperate and she spluttered and had to roll over onto her stomach and prop herself up with her arms to prevent herself from being sick.

"I can see I'm going to have to teach you to drink, or keep you away from the really good stuff from now on," came a drawl from the ground next to her. Joanna swallowed back the bile in her throat and looked at Jack. He was lying on his back, his hat shielding his eyes from the sun, a Cheshire grin playing at his lips. "But I admire your effort to do it on your back," the grin got bigger and he let out a quiet, throaty chuckle before expertly raising his own bottle and downing a large amount of the rum inside.

"I'm sure there's no end to the _fascinating_ things you'll show me, Capitan Jack, but what I'm keen to know is why I'm no longer dressed, and what has happened to my clothes."

Jack lifted his hat and peered at her with a hurt expression on his face, thinking he would have a little fun. "You mean to tell me that you don't even remember?" The hat fell back over his eyes and he let out a long sigh. "That's interesting, I've always thought of myself as a very memorable lover. . . You really mean to tell me that you don't remember begging me to free you of your clothes and take you on the beach?" Jack looked up at her with a polished earnest expression and was disappointed to see no big reaction. Why was it that he couldn't get hysterics when he wanted them for a lark, but when he didn't want or need them they came aplenty?

"It'll be a cold day in Hell when I ask you to take me on a beach. I've discovered recently that sand has a nasty habit of getting everywhere; which would probably be compounded by rutting around, not to mention extremely uncomfortable. Besides, memorable or no, you didn't do anything to me last night that I don't remember."

Jack was fairly certain she didn't recall him carrying her away from the fire when she'd fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder. He was even more certain that she didn't remember his roving hands as he removed her outer things and tucked her under a blanket beside him. _Best keep that information to myself, she's bound to be as prudish as Elizabeth was before she married the whelp._ Jack found his feet and walked a few steps to where he'd laid out Joanna's dress on the trunk of a palm growing its' way down the beach. When he walked back she was lounging on her back, propped up by her elbows, squinting out at the _Pearl_.

"I didn't say I wanted to put that back on, did I?" she asked without looking up. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to sell me a decent pair of your trousers and a shirt, would you?"

Jack tossed the dress at her and plopped down on the sand. "It's possible, luv. But speaking of money, when do you plan on paying for these clothes on top of what you'll owe for a berth in my cabin? I didn't see a whole lot of coinage in that trunk of yours."

Joanna whirled around to face him, "You went through my trunk!"

"Pirate."

"Right. And why will I be staying in your cabin?"

Jack gave her a golden, toothy grin, and held up both hands to start counting off on his ringed fingers. "I didn't suppose you'd want to sleep with the crew, there's no room anywhere else, and your things will be safe. Sharing my bunk is optional unless you're a blanket hog. Snoring isn't recommended, either. I'm a very light sleeper. You could say delicate."

"Uh-huh. Knife, please."

"Joanna, Joanna, Joanna. The famous Captain Jack Sparrow has just graciously offered you something he's never extended to anyone, not even the whelp, bless his little eunuch heart, and your reaction is astounding. _Knife, please!_ Are you always this terse?"

Jack's hands stopped dancing around and he looked down at her speculatively, one dark brow tilting up in the corner. He didn't move as she pulled the knife from his side and pulled her dress onto her lap without even looking at him. Joanna found the inside hem at the waist and made a small cut in the fabric before handing the knife back to Jack, handle first. "Are you always this verbose?"

"What are you doing?"

"Paying you an exorbitant sum for my safe passage and a set of men's clothes." Joanna dug into the tiny hole and coaxed out first one ruby, then a string of others attached to it by an intricate chain. She fixed Jack with a steely stare as she held out the bracelet between them, "I'm going to trust that this is enough even for a pirate such as the famous Captain Jack Sparrow, who I am _certain_ will not feel the need to go through my things again without permission lest I be forced to exact some very nasty punishment on said famous pirate."

Jack shook her extended hand and slipped the bracelet into and then through his fingers, making it disappear from sight. "We have an accord." One hand went to his chin as he played with his beard and looked at her out of the corners of his eyes. "When you say nasty punishment, do you mean the sort where you leave me on a deserted island with only one shot, or the sort where you tie me to my bunk and then proceed to drink my best rum in front of me while wearing absolutely nothing but my hat?"

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Jack looked up into the glaring sky and felt his head pounding as Will hovered over him, saying something, although he still couldn't figure out what.

"Jack, what on Earth did you say to her?"

"Hmmm? What? Where'sm'hat?"

Knowing he would only get sense out of Jack when Jack saw fit, Will sat back on his heels and tossed his friend the battered hat that was his constant companion. Jack took it and fixed it proudly on his head as he looked around them at the beach and then out to the ship with a perplexed expression on his face before visibly relaxing and turning to Will, who was now holding out a fresh bottle of rum to his captain. "_Pearl'll_ be ready to sail as soon as I get you aboard. Elizabeth is seeing Miss Siddons settled in your cabin, and trying to ease her mind about your character."

Jack started giggling into his bottle of rum and took a long swig while digging into the sash at his waist and bringing out the bracelet for Will's inspection. "And why does your lovely wife feel the need to ease our new little friend's mind?"

Will let out a low whistle as he took the proffered bracelet and began to examine the blood-red rubies. "Elizabeth thought it might save you from further head injuries, not that they seem to make much difference at this point. So, Jack, what did you say to make our new little friend hit you so hard that you've been out cold for the last half hour?" Will handed the bracelet back and looked at Jack expectantly.

Jack giggled again and took another drink before turning to Will and recounting the entire conversation complete with dancing hands and several swills of rum. If Captain Jack Sparrow was anything, he was a fantastic storyteller. Will just shook his head and laughed.

"So what do you think, Will? Think I might have deserved that?" Both men stood and started walking toward the last boat waiting on the beach.

"Yes, I think you definitely deserved it. Whatever possessed you?" Will helped Jack push the boat out and then jumped in and grabbed the oars. It was easier to listen to Jack when he could occupy himself with something else at the same time.

"Jus' having a little fun. Honestly, she let me kiss her last night. Think she might've liked it, too."

"Jack, she was probably just in shock. Seems she's had a bit of a crazy life as of late. You might want to lay off the seduction bit, we don't know how long she'll be with us, and there are always plenty of women in port for you. Elizabeth will probably skin you alive if you try to have too much fun with Joanna, she seems to like her. Besides, you've said it yourself, ship romances are a bad idea and should be avoided at all costs; Elizabeth and myself being an exception, of course." Will had stopped rowing halfway through his diatribe when they'd bumped against the hull and had been imitating Jack's way of speaking when he turned his captain's own words back on him.

Jack stood up in a rush over his friend and grabbed with one hand the rope hanging over the side of the ship. He gave Will a dark, calculating look for a moment before a quick smile crossed his face and he turned around to make his way up the side of the ship. "Maybe I just want what you have, eh?"

Will's face registered his surprise before he let out a sigh and went to work preparing the small vessel to be hauled out of the water for their departure. Jack was an enigma. He'd never seen his friend look at a woman the way Will himself looked at Elizabeth. Will just assumed Jack was perfectly content with the bachelor's life at sea, a sweetheart or two in every port; he couldn't imagine a woman onboard (other than Elizabeth or Annamaria, who sometimes sailed with them) competing with the _Pearl_ for Jack's attention. _Well,_ thought Will as he reached the deck and headed to the kitchen for a bite to eat before he went about his duties, _I guess you learn something new every day._

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Jack entered his cabin in a good mood that swiftly departed him. His trunks were open, his possessions strewn about the cabin floor, clothes hanging from parts of the ceiling where it had disrupted their arcs through the air. He saw Roberts with his back to the door hanging up a hammock and was about to demand to know what was going on when he saw Joanna enter barefoot from the head in some dandyish clothes Elizabeth had picked out for him. Neither noticed the captain fuming in the doorway as Joanna walked to Roberts and thanked him for fixing her hammock.

The young man turned to leave and the smile on his face grew infuriatingly larger when he saw Jack glowering at the state of his cabin, "Morning, Captain." Roberts knew something juicy was coming when he saw Jack's nod, and he quietly closed the door behind him on his way out to finish his duties with the crew and tell them yet another entertaining story about Joanna. First that knockout punch this morning, and now messing with Jack's private things. Having her aboard would be fun if she kept this up; the captain was hilarious when he got properly riled, even if you were the target of his anger.

"Care to explain?" Jack's voice was dangerously quiet as he walked toward the windows at the back of the cabin and looked out before turning to face Joanna. Silently, gracefully, he sat back on the ledge underneath them and leaned against the glass, his arms crossed over his chest and his soft lips in a hard line.

Joanna knew from Elizabeth that he'd been testing her when he'd made the comment on the beach. Apparently, he liked saying risqué things and seeing how far people would let him go. Elizabeth assured her that Jack could in fact be a perfect gentleman if he so chose, but Joanna would have to let him know that she wouldn't accept anything less or she'd never see the end of raunchy jokes and groping hands. And even then, Elizabeth had said, he still liked to push the boundaries occasionally. So Joanna raised her head and didn't take her eyes from his, "Explain what? I think my reaction to your lewd comment this morning perfectly self-explanatory."

For the first time Jack smiled at her, and waved his hands as if in dismissal, "Oh, I know I deserved that. No," his smile disappeared and his eyes widened as he gestured at the state of his cabin, "what I'm _keen to know_ is why you've done this!"

Joanna smiled her most winning smile, "Is that not self-explanatory as well? You went through my things without regard-by the way, I want my kohl back, you obviously have some of your own-and you owed me a set of clothes. I should think it was perfectly obvious. We're even now."

She was almost to the door when his voice stopped her, "If that's the way you want to play it, lass, then you've got a nice punch to the face coming your way."

Joanna turned around and gave Jack her most disdainful look, despite her discomfort that he'd managed to sneak up right behind her without a sound. "I'd like to see you try."

She didn't even see him move, just felt and heard a tiny rush of air before stars exploded in the black and then faded away to nothing.

Jack caught Joanna before she fell to the floor of the cabin and picked her up, carrying her over to the hammock and gingerly laying her inside. He leaned over her, checking that she would sleep peacefully without danger of concussion or a fall from the hammock. Jack straightened and swaggered toward the door. "_Now_ we're even." He smiled as he threw open the cabin door and made his way to the helm.

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"He's taking us to Port Royal, isn't he?" Elizabeth turned to face Will as he joined her at the bow.

"He wants to find out as much as he can about our current passenger situation. It does seem odd that the Spanish are after her, too. Makes me wonder how much she's really telling us, and if she is who she says she is."

Elizabeth looked down at the waves being broken by the ship and contemplated her next words. Although class had never been an issue for her, she knew that their different backgrounds made Will uncomfortable at times. "When my Mother was still alive and we lived in London, she used to love to go to the theatre. She told me stories of how Father wooed her at the playhouse, even though he hates plays. The last show we all saw together was a command performance for the late King Charles. I was six at the time, so that would have made Prince Edward twenty . . . two. Twenty-two. He had . . . a reputation even then as a womanizer, and you know it had to have been bad if even _I_ knew about it. The show we saw boasted the entire Siddons family on the bill. Husband, wife, daughter. She is who she says she is.

"Will," she continued with a sigh, remembering a part of her past, "London Society, the Beau Monde, whatever you want to call it, is a snake pit in fancy clothing and carriages. For someone like Joanna, from a humble background and with no family or other protection, to come to the attention of no less person than the King of England Himself . . . it's unthinkable. She must be so frightened of what will happen to her. I would be, and I was raised among them! It's an incredibly bold move to go against the grain like that. I have to admire her for it, and I want to help her, Will. I just hope Edward will have gotten over it by now. It seems to me that if he wants to ingratiate himself to the people he could do something more practical and less selfish than taking as mistress a popular celebrity of humble origin, like lowering taxes or improving living standards.

Will rubbed his wife's shoulder and looked at her adoringly. He considered himself very fortunate to have her love, and was still constantly amazed at her capacity to care for other people when she didn't have to. She was so—

"Seems to me that being the King's mistress could be a very profitable business." Will groaned inwardly as he and Elizabeth were approached by Jack. For all of his talk about opportune moments, the man didn't seem to have any respect for others' pursuit of such moments. He was now standing right next to them, holding the bracelet between the three of them for examination. Elizabeth gasped audibly.

"Jack!" She looked around to make sure no one was within earshot before continuing in a sharp whisper, "Be careful! You shouldn't say that or have _that_," she pointed at the string of rubies in his hand, "out where people can see or hear! You don't know who's listening. And especially don't talk that way around Joanna, please, it's not very sensitive."

"Firs' thing's first, luv," Jack held up the bracelet and smiled when it glinted in the sunlight before slipping it back into his pocket, "when in our entire acquaintance have you ever known anyone to take anything I say seriously?" She looked at Will as if expecting him to say something but he merely shrugged at her, and they both looked once more at Jack, knowing he had plenty more to say. "Secondly," the hands were dancing in the air now, "there's no way Joanna heard that little comment." He gestured towards his cabin, "she's incapacitated at the moment."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed shrewdly, "What do you mean, incapacitated?"

Jack steepled his hands under his chin and looked up at her from puppy dog eyes that didn't fool anyone, "she's taking a little nap in her new hammock."

Elizabeth sighed and brushed airily past both men on her way to check on Joanna. "Right," she muttered under her breath, "my Aunt Fanny."

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"I can't believe he hit you!" Elizabeth's voice raised a pitch from its usually melodious tones and Joanna winced.

"I can. It hurts like Hell and looks like shite." She looked apologetically up at the other woman from under the cold compress she'd been given, a blush creeping across her cheeks and up to a very bruised and swollen temple where Jack had gotten his revenge, "Oh, sorry! I should really watch my mouth."

"You don't have to worry about offending me, Joanna. It's nothing I haven't heard or said before. I'm really sorry about this. He wouldn't like people to know it, but Jack's really like a sweet little puppy. He just likes to give people the wrong first impression."

"How did someone like you become friends with someone like him?"

Elizabeth shook her head and laughed. "The first time I met Jack, he saved my life, insulted my honor, and escaped gunfire and a regiment of marines within five minutes."

Joanna's eyebrows shot up, but she managed to control her manners and avoid snorting. As though Elizabeth could read her mind, she launched into the story of how she met Jack, was kidnapped by Barbossa, and helped end the curse on the _Black Pearl_. As if on cue, Elizabeth's stomach grumbled in a most unladylike manner just as she finished her narration. "My goodness, have I been talking this entire time?"

Like a yawn, the stomach-grumbling seemed to be contagious, and Joanna's gave a low grumble in response to her companion's question. Immediately, Elizabeth was bustling around Jack's cabin, adding to the bundle in her arms as she moved from trunk to shelf to cupboard and in a matter of minutes they'd begun tucking into some of Jack's favorite goodies. Joanna had begun to feel comfortable enough around Elizabeth to tell her more about her situation, how Edward had been showering her with gifts over the past several months, his commissioning of the Drury Lane Theatre, what had been her parents' hard work and her professional home, so that he as King was now in charge of everything that went on there. As Elizabeth listened patiently, Joanna recalled everything from her first meeting with the King, to her several summons to court and command performances, how her life had drastically changed in a remarkably short period of time and her efforts to stay afloat in a dangerous tide which had brought her now to this place at this time. The sun had set and the two women could hear the men outside as they readied the _Pearl_ for sailing at night with a skeleton crew.

"Don't worry, Joanna," Elizabeth reassured her as they shared a warm hug, "we'll do everything we can to keep you safe."

"Thank you. I—"

The only thing she'd left out was the only thing she still hadn't fully been able to recover from. Joanna never wanted to tell anyone about the night before she'd left London. If she didn't tell anyone, maybe she'd be able to forget it, and then it could be like it had never happened . . .

"Joanna, are you alright?" Elizabeth's eyes searched her face and she barely managed to fight back the tears that threatened to come unbidden.

"I'm fine. I'm better than I've been in a long time, I just—I never expected any of this to happen. But, I'm glad I met you."

"Me, too." Elizabeth squeezed her hand and then made her way to the cabin door, turning around and smiling at her before leaving Joanna alone to wait for Jack, "me, too."

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Elizabeth was relieved to see Jack and Will both at the helm; she could tell them at once, and they were actually easier for her to convince when they were together.

"We're going to Tortuga," she announced without preamble.

Jack turned to Will, "you need to teach your lady love a decent sense of direction," he said seriously, one hand eventually stopping to point at a tiny spot on the horizon, "see, we're going to Port Royal, and Tortuga is thataway."

"No, Jack," Elizabeth patiently explained, confident that she would get her way, "Joanna and I want to buy the men a full night at Turtle's Back, drinks and _everything_—excluding you, dear—" she winked at Will, "but the deal is contingent upon you agreeing to our terms."

Jack pulled upon his beard and tried to hide his excitement until he was sure he wasn't being cheated—Elizabeth had a habit of being tricky, one of the reasons he admired and feared her so much. "And what are your terms?"

"We dock at least a week, crew is sworn to absolute secrecy, and you agree to consider the plans we lay forth once in Tortuga."

Jack looked at his first mate and raised one brow. "Why do I feel like there's something she isn't telling me?" he asked.

"Because there probably is," Will answered truthfully, "but when have you ever turned down free drinks?"

"Did someone say free drinks?" Joshamee Gibbs approached the helm for his shift.

Jack patted him on the back and smiled his Cheshire smile. "Set course for Tortuga, Mr. Gibbs. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can start our free evening of drinkin' and lasses—or lads in Roberts' case," he muttered, still sore that his crewman had let Joanna wreak such havoc on his cabin. He looked pointedly at his friends, "I'm going to drink and bed. You can manage taking us in, can't you? I may have a long night ahead of me," he added, giving Elizabeth a playful wink as he walked off.

"I'm sure you do," she answered knowingly, causing Will and Gibbs to look between her and Jack, not sure of the joke.

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"I'm going to give you a choice," Joanna said to Jack from her perch on the table as he entered the cabin. "You can either come sit still for me over here, or," she paused, looking at him straight in the eye and willing with all her might to make him fidget or give her a sign that she had a chance at the upper hand, "or I can get rid of _all_ of your rum when you're not looking."

Jack's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but it was enough for Joanna before she was disarmed by a winning smile and the swagger she was beginning to get used to as Jack made his way over to the table and sat in the chair in front of her. "You wouldn't do that, luv. You don't even know where all my rum is," he leaned forward in his chair until his face stopped inches below hers and he looked at her seriously, just the hint of taunting laughter in his voice, "there's always more where that comes from."

Joanna smiled at him and reached behind her where she had hidden a particularly fine-looking bottle. "You're absolutely right, you know," she handed him the bottle and saw with an inward squeal of delight that he paled somewhat, "I found this one under the third floorboard from the window with the warped pane. Ready to sit still for a bit?"

Jack looked up at her with an expression in his eyes like he was weighing his options before pulling the cork out with his teeth and saluting her with the bottle then taking a long swig. "For you, lass, I'll attach myself to this chair all night."

He was rewarded with his answer by a sweet and unassuming smile that took him completely by surprise. "Oh, I don't think it'll take me that long to do what I need to."

"And what do you intend to do?"

Joanna laughed and showed him her box of stage makeup, "I'm going to get even for this horrible bruise you've given me."

Twenty minutes later, she stood up to put her makeup away in her trunk and grab a mirror of Jack's before walking back to examine her handiwork. For Jack, it had been a unique experience. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched his face gently, as she had. Probably not since he was a child. He looked into the proffered glass and let out a low whistle. His face looked as though he'd spent a night in gaol and pissed off everyone within a quarter mile radius. He half expected to feel pain if he moved his head too much. "So, lass, we even?"

"For now." She grinned wickedly before retreating to Jack's bunk behind a heavy curtain partition. "Goodnight, Jack."

He was trying to figure out if she had just issued an invitation when her voice cut into his thoughts, "Thanks for the bunk. Enjoy your night with the chair!" Well, so it wasn't an invitation, exactly, but he had only stated that he would stay attached to the chair, and the chair could be moved. Oh, how he loved the English language! Jack waited a few moments until he heard her stop moving around on the other side of the curtain before he silently stood and grabbed the chair. He set it down quietly right in front of the curtain before straddling it and pulling the curtain aside in one fluid movement.

Joanna was lying on his bunk. Her clothes lay neatly folded on the floor and she was on her stomach, the heavy quilt pushed down to her waist leaving her entire back exposed. Jack's eyes went wide as he took in the sight and finally met Joanna's own alarmed expression. "You're naked."

She looked as if she were about to cry. "You wouldn't . . . ?" It was a statement, it was a question, and it brought Jack back down to earth.

"I never have, and I never will force myself on a woman." True, he liked the pleasures of the flesh as much or more than any other man, but he had enough self control to go as long as he had to without a woman's company. He wouldn't turn it down if it was a good offer, after all, he wasn't an idiot, but he would never take what wasn't freely offered to him. Obviously, somewhere this girl had gotten the idea that all men were capable of such monstrosities, which would go a long way to explain her hot and cold reactions to him. "Joanna Siddons, I give you my word that you are in no danger of such actions from either me or my crew."

She sniffed before hazarding a watery smile, "I'm sorry. I should have known you wouldn't. I was just startled; I mean, you look like a ruffian with those bruises."

Jack gave her a golden grin, "Yes, well, I got on the bad side of a really tough wench." He was relieved to hear her laugh, the darkness seemed to have passed at least. "Now, if you'll excuse me, that hammock over there is calling to the chair and me. Goodnight." Jack stood and gave her a little bow before picking up the chair and starting across the cabin.

"Wait." He turned around, not sure of what she wanted. Joanna was sitting up in his bunk, the heavy cover pulled up to her collarbone. She looked surprised for some reason, and took a deep breath, "Will you please stay with me tonight?" A deep blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck. Jack's mind was racing behind a blank face; nice women who said please to him didn't say it in this context.

Neither one of them spoke as Jack moved about the cabin, doffing his hat, effects, shirt, and boots before dousing all but one lantern. He brought it over to where she lay looking up at him, the bruise on her temple almost completely hidden by shadow. Jack hung the lantern above the bunk and shaded it so only a little light seeped through before sitting on the edge, his back to Joanna.

Jack lay down then, finally turning and looking at her lying between himself and the wall in the dim light. Her eyes were gazing at him with something between wonder and curiosity. Jack could just see himself getting into trouble because of this woman, but he'd think about that later, after he'd had a few decent drinks and she wasn't around to distract him. "Now," he whispered huskily in the half dark, "don't think this means you can take advantage of me in this state. If you try to have your way with me, the chair and I go straight back to the hammock."

Joanna's eyes closed and her lips curved into a tiny smile before she drifted off to sleep, "You'll be safe with me, Cap'n."


End file.
